What kind of high school student knows they want to go into a healthcare profession? Someone special. Nine-hundred young adults at the PENN HOSA (Healthcare Occupations Students of America ) Future Health Professionals State Leadership Conference dressed in blue suits and white button-up shirts filled the Lancaster Host conference room, representing 85 schools across Pennsylvania. [...]

This week, I had a FIRST. In-office consulting. A moment after entering the office, I overheard the receptionist tell a patient that their usual doctor was out of town and they would be seeing Dr. X, the fill in doctor. If I heard that, I would simply say, ‘schedule me for a week later when [...]

Emotion is essential to learning. I figured this out in 1987 (almost 20 years ago) when my part-time job was teaching biblical stories in an after-school program while pursuing a career as an actress on Broadway. The curriculum was top-notch. However, each and every week, when asking students to recall the story I told the [...]

When I first started lecturing, my manager would notate how many times I used the word 'um,' 'and' or some other filler. I didn't believe her when she told me I was upwards of 30 'ums' in a one-hour speech. At my next lecture, I began to hear myself use the fillers. As my transitions [...]

I am guilty of misusing my voice. I'm not a sports coach; I don't teach a large exercise class; When I lecture, I always use a microphone. However, from as long ago as I can remember, I was always being told, 'lower your voice.' I never hit my children, but I would yell. Radiation [...]

A friend is sick....what to say in a card, when you call, in person? How do you show empathy? “If you need anything, call me. And if you don’t call me, I promise I’ll call you. And I’ll keep calling,” – bestguess, N.Y. “Don’t feel like talking? Me either. Let’s sit here and not [...]

My three minutes of podium time was preceded with an introduction by CNN anchor Chris Cuomo. His introduction was about the power of story, and specifically my expertise on the subject. He didn't just do research on me. He admitted to me that he was aware of my work years ago. I was surprised to [...]

At the St Barnabas Hospital Survivorship event at which I was the keynote speaker, I sat next to the Reverend Dr. Valerie Griffin who gave the convocation. After hearing my talk that included some messages about faith, she wished me a happy new year (Jewish). She told me at the hospital, the shofar was sounded. [...]

My frequent hoarseness drove me to see a specialist to rule out cancer with a laryngoscopy. Then, I had 8 sessions with a speech pathologist who specialized in 'Vocal Hygiene,' (I love that title) for preservation and healthy maintenance of the voice. My hoarseness improved even on days when I went in with a hoarse [...]

If you ask a cancer survivor what HOPE means to them, their answer may not necessarily be 'a CURE.' It may be 'feeling well enough to attend a family event in two months,' or 'accomplish a task within the week', or 'have a pain-free moment'. After my presentation at Grand Rounds, I had a tour [...]